1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to hearing prostheses, and more particularly, to a hearing prosthesis having an on-board fitting system.
2. Related Art
Hearing loss, which may be due to many different causes, is generally of two types: conductive and sensorineural. Sensorineural hearing loss is due to the absence or destruction of the hair cells in the cochlea that transduce sound signals into nerve impulses. Conductive hearing loss occurs when the normal mechanical pathways that provide sound to hair cells in the cochlea are impeded, for example, by damage to the ossicular chain or ear canal. However, individuals suffering from conductive hearing loss may retain some form of residual hearing because the hair cells in the cochlea may remain undamaged.
A variety of hearing prostheses provide therapeutic benefits to individuals suffering from conductive and sensorineural hearing loss. For example, electrically-stimulating hearing prostheses such as auditory brain implants (also referred to as ABIs or auditory brain stimulators) and cochlear implants (also commonly referred to as cochlear prostheses, cochlear devices, cochlear implant devices), provide a person having sensorineural hearing loss with the ability to perceive sound. Such electrically stimulating hearing prostheses bypass the hair cells of the cochlea and deliver an electrical stimulation signal directly to the cochlea, the auditory nerve or the brain.
Another type of hearing prosthesis, referred to as an acoustic hearing aid or simply hearing aid, provides a person having conductive hearing loss with the ability to perceive sound. Acoustic hearing aids deliver amplified acoustic sounds to the ear canal of a recipient. The amplified sounds are relayed to the cochlea via the ossicular chain, resulting in motion of the cochlea fluid that is perceived by the undamaged hair cells.
Another type of hearing prostheses, often generally referred to as mechanical stimulators, mechanically stimulate a recipient. Some mechanical stimulators, such as middle ear implants or direct acoustic stimulators, directly stimulate the middle ear or the oval or round windows of the cochlea. Other prostheses referred to as bone conduction devices indirectly deliver mechanical stimulation to the cochlea by vibrating the recipient's skull.
The effectiveness of a hearing prosthesis depends not only on the prosthesis itself, but also on the success with which the prosthesis is configured for the individual recipient. Configuring hearing prosthesis for a recipient, also referred to as “fitting,” “programming” or “mapping,” (collectively and generally referred to as “fitting” herein) has traditionally been considered to be a relatively complex process. Typically, a clinician, audiologist or other medical practitioner (generally and collectively referred to as “audiologist” herein) uses interactive software and computer hardware to create individualized programs, commands, data, settings, parameters, instructions, and/or other information (generally and collectively referred to as “fitting data” herein) that are used by the prosthesis to generate the electrical, mechanical and/or acoustic stimulation signals.